Sermons And Gubbins

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 3rd September 2017. The two New Testament readings were Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:21-28 . They say you should always start a sermon with a joke. Ok then… What do you get if you cross a sheep and a kangaroo? Altogether now: A woolly jumper! Ba-doom tish. It’s an oldie, but, as they say, it’s a goodie! It’s actually one of the earliest jokes I can ever remember being told. I remember laughing at the joke as a small child, but not really understanding it; laughing because it was the conventional thing to do after you hear a joke – and also because it’s just fun to laugh – but all the while, I was thinking “ you get woolly jumpers from sheep – why on earth do you need a kangaroo in the joke too? ”. Perhaps I was also laughing at the ridiculousness of that thought. In fact – I’ll be completely honest – I was an adult before I heard the joke again and really thought about it; about the dual meaning of...

This sermon was preached at our morning service on Sunday 13th August. The gospel reading was Matthew 14:22-33 ; Jesus walking on the water. I've always found the usual interpretations of this story somewhat simplistic, so it was interesting to think upon and do some research into other potential meanings here. I hope you find it useful.   When I was a little boy, I loved playing in the local swimming pool. Now, notice how I phrased that; ‘playing in the swimming pool’. I didn’t love going swimming. I’ve never been a strong swimmer; in fact, I was in high school before I finally learnt to swim without using arm bands or a float. No – I didn’t like going swimming; I tolerated the swimming so that I could play in the swimming pool. The pool was exciting; there was a shallow area with spurting fountains you could manipulate to spray in your playmates’ direction, there were huge foam boards that several would-be-pirate children could climb onto and command at the same time,...

This sermon was delivered at our Evensong service on Sunday 23rd July. The Old Testament reading was 1 Kings 3:16-28 ; the Judgement of Solomon. Our Old Testament story tonight is surely one of the most famous tales in the Old Testament. The story of the Judgement of Solomon – maybe one of the first ever detective stories – is known the world-over, by people of faith, and people of none. It’s a story, purportedly, about the wisdom of a king, who shows cunning – and, let’s be honest here – a great deal of deceit to arrive at a good judgement in a case that seems unsolvable. Solomon is petitioned by two mothers, to arbitrate in their heart-breaking case. Overnight, it seems, one of the women has tragically rolled over onto her child, and smothered him. The first woman tells the king that after accidently killing her baby, the other woman got up and swapped the children round. She displays a larger amount of inside-knowledge than one would expect from someone who was sleeping thro...

This sermon was given at our Evensong service on July 2nd 2017. The New Testament reading was Luke 17:20-37 . I had half a mind today to preach a sermon about Grenfell Tower tonight; a proper, Old Testament-style sermon, full of anger and judgement, proclaiming: “Woe unto you, you pen-pushers and bureaucrats, who value money and cost-efficiency more than life – or, at the least, the life of others . Woe unto you, you hypocrites, who would rather cover the poor with a flammable veneer than have to look at the cost that your comfortable lifestyle has upon those around you, let alone have to deal with the mess your money leaves in its wake. Woe unto you, you authorities and law-makers, who bow and fawn to the whim and every wish of big business, refusing to pass laws that would ensure landlords bear the smallestounce of responsibility in ensuring their tenants live in buildings fit for human habitation . And woe to you, you landlords, who exploit the vulnerable and...

This sermon was preached on Sunday 4th June - Pentecost Sunday, a few days before 2017's General Election. The main reading for the day was from Acts 2:1-21 . I did not have time to edit it to reflect yesterday's attack in London , but all those affected by that horrible event were (and are) in our prayers this morning. Are you ready for the world to change this week? For a change in our nation? Have you felt it in the air? Something stirring within you? Can you feel it? The sense of anticipation? Excitement? Maybe even a sense of fear around what might happen next? Don’t worry; I’m not talking about the election. This is not a party political broadcast on behalf of any prospective government; you can relax! But not too much – don’t get too comfy. There’s no time for that. Today, we celebrate Pentecost , and if you’re comfortable with that, it’s possible you’re thinking that today is a commemoration, an anniversary, a birthday, a historical event, and nothing mor...

This sermon was preached at Evensong on Sunday 28th May, 6 days after the Manchester bombing that claimed the life of 22 people and injured many more. The New Testament reading was Ephesians 1:15-23 . Like many, if not all, of us, I have been trying to come to terms this week with the horrific actions of Monday night, when, after a pop concert at Manchester Arena, a young man, full of religious fervour, set off a bomb, killing himself and 21 other young people, and wounding many others in the area.  “How can this happen?”, we ask ourselves. How does God allow it? Where is God in this awful situation? These are natural questions to ask ourselves, and ask of God. I’d go so far to state that not only are they natural, but they are necessary . Ours would be an immature faith if we did not ask; if we simply stopped our ears at the sound of the question. An immature faith ignores this issue. Not as immature and perverted a faith as one that persuades its adheren...

This sermon was preached at our Good Friday service, held on 14th April 2017. Why are we here today? If you were here yesterday evening, you’ll recall that I said that this season of Lent and Easter was one that particularly made us Christians stand out as weird . Today is no exception. When the rest of the country is out, enjoying their bank holiday, playing football, or making the most of the long weekend, here we are; over lunch-time, sat in a bare church, preparing ourselves for a dose of despair and, perhaps, grief. Why are we here, going through this act of death, year after year? Why are we putting ourselves through this again? Why aren’t we out there, enjoying our day off? Why are we here and not out there? Because it is real . We’re not going through a charade here, or acting out the parts. We’re not, even, attending an act of remembrance. We’re here because Christ’s death was real. It was not an act, or a misunderstanding. It was not a ploy. It was not a...